297: Chapter 297 County-level roll call arrangements

The Town Government courtyard.

The air after the snow was cold.

Inside the Deputy Secretary's office, Zhu Wenhao held a white porcelain teacup and took a sip.

The water temperature was just right.

Director Xu Jie pushed open the door and walked in.

She held a freshly printed report in her hand and sat down in the chair opposite him.

"The surveillance footage for the four heavy trucks along the entire route has been pulled."

Director Xu Jie opened the report and laid it flat on the desk.

"This batch of vehicles entered the south of the town the night before last and were parked at Ma Yunlong's old mining area during the day."

"The vehicles are registered under 'Shunda Logistics'." Director Xu Jie pointed to the business registration information on it.

"The legal representative of this company is Political Commissar Zhang Qiang, who drives a taxi in Qingjiang County. I checked the transaction records of the corporate account; there is a fixed amount of funds transferred out every month. The recipient is Wang San."

The door was pushed open, and Police Chief Zhao Gang walked in with field investigation materials.

"Secretary Zhu, I know this guy Wang San well; he used to drive for Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan." Police Chief Zhao Gang walked to the desk and pulled out another chair.

"He keeps no assets in his own name; everything is held by others. This matter was instigated by Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan behind the scenes. I'll take a few brothers to the county seat and detain Political Commissar Zhang Qiang from Shunda Logistics. As long as he talks, Wang San won't be able to escape."

Zhu Wenhao glanced at Police Chief Zhao Gang.

"What can you find out by arresting a legal representative who is just a proxy?" Zhu Wenhao spoke up.

"This type of person takes money to do a job and has no idea who is above them. As long as Wang San cuts off the loose ends and pushes all the responsibility onto the drivers, the case will become a simple environmental violation. If you arrest someone, you will actually be helping them cut the line."

Police Chief Zhao Gang sat in the chair, remaining silent.

"You have to look at the big picture when doing things." Zhu Wenhao tapped his fingers on the desk twice.

"They went to great lengths to transport the contaminated soil to the site selected for the cold chain park, not for the sake of pollution, but to ruin this plot of land and force General Manager Zhou Shutong to withdraw her investment."

Secretary Du Changhe walked into the office carrying several photocopies.

"Secretary Du Changhe, have you verified the procedures from the environmental protection station?" Zhu Wenhao looked at him.

Secretary Du Changhe placed the photocopies on the desk.

"The seal from the town's transport management station is there, and the transit filings are all complete. The most suspicious thing is this environmental disposal receipt."

Secretary Du Changhe pointed to the bottom right corner of the photocopy.

"I checked the serial number. It was issued by a waste disposal enterprise in Linjiang City."

Zhu Wenhao looked up.

"Linjiang City."

"The seal is genuine, but the waste corresponding to the serial number is not this batch of contaminated soil. These are fake documents using a real seal." Secretary Du Changhe finished speaking and took a half step back.

Zhu Wenhao picked up his teacup.

"Could Wang San, someone from the county, really obtain a legitimate receipt from a Linjiang City disposal enterprise?" Zhu Wenhao looked at Director Xu Jie.

Director Xu Jie walked over to the computer nearby and typed on the keyboard.

"The registered capital of Shunda Logistics is one million, of which five hundred thousand is a loan." Director Xu Jie looked at the business information on the screen.

"The lender is the Qingjiang County Urban Construction Consulting Center."

Director Xu Jie turned her head: "I used the internal network to check this consulting center. It's a shell company with no actual business. Last year, this company helped a Deputy Secretary-General of the Linjiang Municipal Government Office process two project feasibility study fees."

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping." Zhu Wenhao said the name.

Wang San, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan, Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping, Mayor Su Changming.

A chain from top to bottom.

Mayor Su Changming gave the instructions from above, Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping made the arrangements, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan directed, and Wang San executed.

The goal was to smash the industrial foundation of Heishi Town.

Zhu Wenhao walked to the map of the whole town on the wall.

"Organize the materials on Shunda Logistics into two copies." Zhu Wenhao turned his head and instructed Director Xu Jie.

"Send one copy to Director Li Qiang at the County Commission for Discipline Inspection. Secretary Pang is currently investigating the old accounts of the reservoir, and Wang San is a key node. This five hundred thousand in registered capital will be just the fuel Secretary Pang needs."

Director Xu Jie nodded and made a note.

"Lock the other copy, along with that environmental receipt from Linjiang City, into the confidential safe exactly as they are. No one is allowed to touch them." Zhu Wenhao gave the order.

Police Chief Zhao Gang was puzzled: "Secretary Zhu, shouldn't we hand this stuff over directly?"

"Hand it over to where?" Zhu Wenhao countered.

"To the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection? Based on just one environmental receipt and a five hundred thousand loan, can you prove that Mayor Su Changming ordered the transport of the contaminated soil? Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping could easily find someone underneath him to take the fall, and the trail would go cold. If you strike a snake but don't kill it, you will suffer the consequences."

Zhu Wenhao walked back to the desk.

"Play the long game. Wang San is a living witness now and a hub connecting both sides. He holds the old accounts of the reservoir in his hands and is also entangled with Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's funds. A person like this is more useful kept alive than arrested."

Zhu Wenhao looked at Police Chief Zhao Gang.

"Send people to keep a close watch on Wang San. Who he meets, where he goes, what he eats—report it daily. Once he senses that the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, he will go to his masters to ask for his trump cards."

Police Chief Zhao Gang stood up straight: "Understood."

Secretary Du Changhe sat in the guest seat, watching Zhu Wenhao's coordination.

He followed the instructions without saying anything more.

Night fell over Qingjiang County.

Wang San walked out of the back door of a mahjong parlor, wrapped in a military overcoat.

He lit a cigarette, took two puffs, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it to extinguish it.

He took out an old mobile phone and made a call.

"Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan." Wang San lowered his voice.

On the other end of the line, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan did not speak.

"There's no movement over in Heishi Town." Wang San reported.

"The contaminated soil was buried, but the Town Government sealed off the land. I heard they are going to pay for the cleanup themselves. They haven't arrested anyone either."

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan spoke up on the other end: "No arrests?"

"None. The drivers are still driving taxis. The doors of Shunda Logistics are open."

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's breathing became heavy.

"Zhu Wenhao didn't investigate?"

"The procedures from the transport management station are legal. The environmental receipt was issued by Linjiang City. As a deputy secretary of a town, his reach doesn't extend to the city level." Wang San replied.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan sat in his office.

He had thought this move would be able to stir up chaos in Heishi Town and force away the capital.

Zhu Wenhao was holding his ground, and he wasn't sure what to do.

"Clean up the loose ends." Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan instructed, "Don't go to Heishi Town for the next few days, and don't call me either."

The phone call hung up.

Wang San stuffed the mobile phone back into his pocket.

He looked left and right, then walked deeper into the alley.

Heishi Town, Deputy Secretary's office.

Zhu Wenhao finished processing the last document on hand, signed it, and filed it.

The internal phone on the desk rang.

It was Police Chief Zhao Gang calling.

"Secretary Zhu. The field team has kept track of him. Wang San just left the mahjong parlor. The signal location shows that he entered an old residential compound." Police Chief Zhao Gang said on the phone.

"What kind of place?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"It's an old house that was allocated to Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's ex-wife years ago. Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan doesn't usually live there, but Wang San has the key." Police Chief Zhao Gang replied.

"Wang San's mobile phone signal stopped there ten minutes ago."

Zhu Wenhao put his fountain pen into the pen holder.

He walked to the window and pushed open a glass pane.

The cold wind blew in.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan was panicking.

Wang San hiding in Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's old residence meant that he wasn't going there to lay low, but to retrieve something to save his own life.

"Keep an eye on all exits of the residential compound." Zhu Wenhao said into the phone.

"If Wang San brings something out, find someone with a face he doesn't recognize and cause a little friction on the road. See clearly what he is carrying."

"I'll arrange it myself." Police Chief Zhao Gang hung up the phone.

Zhu Wenhao closed the window tightly.

He walked to the water dispenser and poured himself another cup of hot water.

Director Xu Jie pushed the door open and came in, holding a fax.

"Zhu Wenhao, this is a notice sent down from the County Party Committee duty room. Tomorrow morning, the county is holding a scheduling meeting for key projects. It requires the leading officials in charge of each town and township to attend."

Zhu Wenhao took the fax.

"Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan will go to the meeting."

"The document specifically names and requires the Deputy Secretary of the Town Party Committee to attend as a non-voting delegate." Director Xu Jie pointed to the bottom of the document.

Zhu Wenhao glanced at the signature at the bottom.

"Secretary Lu wants to hear the report from Heishi Town. With South Street renovated and the cold chain park contaminated, Secretary Lu Guoliang wants to personally oversee this situation of mixed reality and falsehood."

"What materials should we prepare?" Director Xu Jie asked.

"Don't bring any materials." Zhu Wenhao picked up the paper cup.

"At tomorrow's meeting, someone will have the materials prepared for us."